As I promised in last week’s warm summer berry compote blog, I’m posting a recipe for a dessert over which the compote goes absolutely perfectly: buttermilk panna cotta.

In Italian, panna cotta means “cooked cream”, and that’s really what this recipe is. I believe I extolled upon the virtues of, and my love for, panna cotta in the pumpkin spice panna cotta recipe I posted last fall. It’s one of my favorite desserts to make and to eat: soft, creamy, cool, sweet but not too sweet, and with a little tang and fresh tartness from the buttermilk and lemon zest. It’s also a perfect low-heat dessert for these, the hottest days of summer (and wow has this summer been hot…). You don’t need an oven, there’s not a lot of work, you barely need to turn the stove on, and it comes out of the fridge nice and cold. There are also very few ingredients.

So let’s say you’re having friends over for a summer dinner on the patio. Spend twenty minutes that morning (at the most) in the kitchen, put the panna cotta in the fridge, and it will be ready to pull out and serve whenever you and your guests are ready. Just spoon the berry compote (warm or not) on top and you have a delicious and very pretty dessert!

A quick note: The recipe states that the gelatin needs to “bloom”. It will look a little odd and look like it’s already hardened, but no need to worry. It will melt when combined with the warmed milk and set beautifully. Blooming gelatin looks a little bit like this:

This is one of my favorite desserts to make and to eat: soft, creamy, cool, sweet but not too sweet, and with a little tang and fresh tartness from the buttermilk and lemon zest. It’s also a perfect low-heat dessert for these, the hottest days of summer!

Author: Samantha Gallegos

Recipe type: Dessert

Cuisine: Italian

Serves: 6

Ingredients

2 cups buttermilk

1 cup milk

1 packet of gelatin

¼ - ½ cup sugar or honey

2 Tbsp. water

1 vanilla bean and seeds or 2 tsp. vanilla extract

½ tsp. lemon zest

1 recipe of warm berry compote

Instructions

Stir together the gelatin and 2 Tbsp. water until combined and set aside to let “bloom”.

Heat the milk, sugar or honey, and vanilla bean and seeds (or the extract over medium-low heat). Stir until the sugar has fully dissolved and the milk is just barely simmering. There will be tiny bubbles around the sides and just a few bubbles under the surface.

Take the milk off the heat (remove the vanilla bean, if using) and stir in the gelatin and lemon zest.

Pour into dessert dishes, ramekins, or molds and place in the fridge. Allow to set for at least two hours or until the panna cotta is fully set.

Serve topped with warm (or cooled) berry compote and enjoy!

3.5.3208

Simple and so good! It even looks pretty in whatever you serve it, especially with the deep reds and purples of the berry compote.

‘Till next time! (There’s one more dessert coming in this summer’s dessert series!)

We’re at that transitional time of year. It still feels like summer most of the time but there are hints of fall in the air, especially in the morning, and certain trees are just starting to turn. The produce situation is the same—I’m seeing more squash and apples, yet late summer fruit is still pretty abundant and delicious.

This recipe is a way to use those luscious, juicy late-season peaches and the grill before it get too cold (although we love and use our new grill so much that I don’t think anything short of a blizzard will keep us away).

This recipe is truly one of my all-time favorite summer recipes. It’s simple and exceptionally delicious. It’s easy to prep, easy to make, and only requires a hand-full of ingredients. I haven’t found one person who doesn’t love it. Plus, it feels a little bit healthy since you’re using fruit (while I wouldn’t classify it as healthy, it’s at least better than, say, a slice of chocolate cake).

The flavors meld so beautifully, and the short amount of time spent on the heat of the grill just warms the peaches and angel food cake through, bringing out slightly deeper, more mellow flavors. The cake also gets crispy on the outside, soft and spongy on the inside—perfect!

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Meet Me…

Welcome! I'm Samantha, a mom, freelance writer and editor, foodie, dog mom, and the writer behind Flurries of Flour! I know life can get crazy, especially when you have little ones. Whether it's cooking a healthy meal when you don't have a lot of time, dealing with parenting, or overcoming anxiety, that's what Flurries of Flour is all about—doing your best one step, one hour, and one day at a time.